FikseSTS Report post Posted June 23, 2010 terrible.... haven't seen the rest of the pics, but the one pic doesn't look that bad.... http://www.autoblog.com/2010/06/23/breakin...a-germany-ring/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Report post Posted June 23, 2010 Toyota just can't buy a break. Cursed car that has now gone from being just a joke to being a sad joke. Article says the test driver was the main driving force behind the LFA being produced at all, poor guy's dream wound up being his coffin. Brutal. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin2772 Report post Posted June 23, 2010 I watched the video on autoblog and the crash looks pretty bad in the video but I do agree it doesnt look bad enough to instantly kill the driver. Also it says he veered into the BMW. Curious to see what the investigation finds. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assman Report post Posted June 23, 2010 RIP. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinnsella Report post Posted June 23, 2010 RIP. Interesting how the other guys survived in a bog standard BMW3 Series..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destructo Report post Posted June 23, 2010 Interesting how the other guys survived in a bog standard BMW3 Series..... You see how many air bags that thing has?! Shame for the loss though. R.I.P. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destructo Report post Posted June 23, 2010 According to Der Spiegel it was the 67 year old head test driver Hiromu Naruse http://www.spiegel.de/auto/aktuell/0,1518,702480,00.html Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin2772 Report post Posted June 23, 2010 You see how many air bags that thing has?! Shame for the loss though. R.I.P. Cant beat BMW safety! But I agree. all those airbags remind me of the foam stuff in the cars from Demolition Man. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Report post Posted June 23, 2010 Very sad...sounds like his fault in the accident as well...RIP Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Report post Posted June 23, 2010 Very sad...sounds like his fault in the accident as well...RIP One of the BMW passengers is in critical condition, wonder what Toyota's legal liability is if he dies due to a test driver losing control of one of their cars... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ts640 Report post Posted June 23, 2010 One of the BMW passengers is in critical condition, wonder what Toyota's legal liability is if he dies due to a test driver losing control of one of their cars... This issue happens all the time in Germany. In the past ten years Test drivers for Mercedes Benz have killed three people. Porsche has had quite a few issues as well. IIRC, and if history repeats itself, the Germans don't place blame on the manufacturers, just the drivers. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambo91 Report post Posted June 23, 2010 test drive should wear a helmet..? i think..not sure if that sounds right.. RIP.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Report post Posted June 23, 2010 This issue happens all the time in Germany. In the past ten years Test drivers for Mercedes Benz have killed three people. Porsche has had quite a few issues as well. IIRC, and if history repeats itself, the Germans don't place blame on the manufacturers, just the drivers. Interesting, good post. I think the victim's families would differ on the blame portion of the equation though. Especially after a sharp attorney paints the LFA as a "dangerous, barely street-legal race car, capable of speeds of over 25% of the speed of sound". Typical wolf-among-sheep bullshit of course, but you can see how easy it is to call a missle, a missle to those who aren't car enthusiasts. Very similar to trials in the States where attorneys attempt to pin the blame for gun rampages on hollow-point ammunition manufacturers, calling it "military-grade lethal" and "designed to tear through flesh with the intention of immediate death, not immobilization". Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blylek Report post Posted June 23, 2010 Yea doesn't look that bad...maybe heart attack or something before the crash causing him to veer into traffic? Maybe no seat belt? Cabins in both cars look to be in good shape... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Report post Posted June 23, 2010 Yea doesn't look that bad...maybe heart attack or something before the crash causing him to veer into traffic? People think that's a strange thought but pilots know the FAA publishes findings that state solo pilot heart-attacks are one of the leading causes of small plane crashes each year, particularly in the 60+ age group. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentS Report post Posted June 23, 2010 It looks like the Lexus had a pretty big airbag too... It said he veered into the other lane... Wonder if something broke, he was distracted, or at 67 y/o maybe he had a heart attack or other medical issue. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ts640 Report post Posted June 23, 2010 Interesting, good post. I think the victim's families would differ on the blame portion of the equation though. Especially after a sharp attorney paints the LFA as a "dangerous, barely street-legal race car, capable of speeds of over 25% of the speed of sound". Typical wolf-among-sheep bullshit of course, but you can see how easy it is to call a missle, a missle to those who aren't car enthusiasts. Very similar to trials in the States where attorneys attempt to pin the blame for gun rampages on hollow-point ammunition manufacturers, calling it "military-grade lethal" and "designed to tear through flesh with the intention of immediate death, not immobilization". I agree, and if this were the US there is zero doubt that would be the case, hell an accident like this is the US would probably put a ban on all Toyotas. I'm curious as to how the two victims being test drivers for BMW may influence the situation. I would assume at some point the two signed a wavier when becoming test drivers. It would be interesting to see what that might say, if they did in fact have to sign one. But then again I thought iDrive was a mess, so I can't imagine trying to learn German law. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
magneto112 Report post Posted June 24, 2010 Yea, I wonder if he had a heart attack as well. But he could have gotten confused with driving on the other side of the road or maybe something did break. It is a pre production model and I wouldnt be surprised if it did not have any airbags. Heck, the damn seatbelts are suppose to have airbags in them. Pretty unfortunate situation for them. RIP. Anyway, reading a new story on Autoblog, it seems like he is to Toyota what Valentino Balboni is to Lamborghini. He pretty much had a hand in EVERY sporty car Toyota has ever developed from the 2000GT, Supra, original IS300, and now LFA (among others). I had no clue who this guy was. Now, I'm interested in learning more about the dude. Not only was he instrumental in Toyota's rise, but test drivers and journalists around the world held him in the highest esteem. Known as the "Meister" by his peers and proteges, even the folks at Ferrari addressed him by his nickname – as one bio put it "the man who knows all the world's roads." And when he wasn't blasting up the mountain passes of his homeland, he was at the Nürburgring. To this day, Naruse-san has logged more miles at the famed circuit than any other Japanese driver. So to end his life on a road outside the track holds an especially sad, if fitting, sentimentality. His creations helped to shape not just Toyota, but nearly every automaker hailing from Japan. And he's largely responsible for all the things I adore about Japanese cars. If there was ever a time that Toyota needed an injection of driving enthusiasm, it's now. And without Naruse-san to man the helm, his untimely demise will be felt more than ever. http://www.autoblog.com/2010/06/23/seat-ti...ruse/#continued Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
livetodrive Report post Posted June 24, 2010 Firstly, he was too old to be driving a fast car (not that they shouldn't)... Also I am not going to call the LFA a supercar. Well' he died while doing what he enjoyed doing. RIP. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sukhi Report post Posted June 24, 2010 very sad RIP Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destructo Report post Posted June 24, 2010 http://www.7tune.com/hiromu-naruse-cooking...he-nur-meister/ An awesome tribute to him, and his incredible amount of influence! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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